Alabama 85th State House District, Alabama: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+50%. Democratic peak: D+100 in 1888.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+50MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 27,1722024 5-year
- Median household income
- $59,4732024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 68.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 25.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+100 in 1888MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+84 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State House District 85, ALOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 3,263 | 9,848 | 13,225 | ||
| R | 3,744 | 9,479 | 13,364 | ||
| R | 3,231 | 8,338 | 11,729 | ||
| R | 4,172 | 8,206 | 12,451 | ||
| R | 4,095 | 8,161 | 12,323 | ||
| R | 3,257 | 7,248 | 10,549 | ||
| R | 3,611 | 6,005 | 9,755 | ||
| R | 3,793 | 4,621 | 9,108 | ||
| R | 3,584 | 4,499 | 9,120 | ||
| R | 2,822 | 5,373 | 8,227 | ||
| R | 2,802 | 5,789 | 8,661 | ||
| R | 3,664 | 4,124 | 7,925 | ||
| D | 3,917 | 2,992 | 6,972 | ||
| R | 1,061 | 4,525 | 5,623 | ||
| O | 1,086 | 170 | 6,748 | ||
| R | 0 | 3,807 | 4,522 | ||
| D | 2,458 | 945 | 3,420 | ||
| D | 2,446 | 661 | 3,315 | ||
| D | 2,298 | 643 | 2,952 | ||
| O | 0 | 85 | 1,367 | ||
| D | 1,930 | 71 | 2,004 | ||
| D | 2,307 | 112 | 2,422 | ||
| D | 2,236 | 55 | 2,296 | ||
| D | 2,081 | 56 | 2,142 | ||
| D | 1,017 | 969 | 1,988 | ||
| D | 968 | 200 | 1,217 | ||
| D | 895 | 539 | 1,439 | ||
| D | 1,007 | 182 | 1,226 | ||
| D | 813 | 54 | 1,082 | ||
| D | 808 | 116 | 1,018 | ||
| D | 811 | 138 | 1,063 | ||
| D | 1,983 | 590 | 2,704 | ||
| D | 3,059 | 675 | 4,025 | ||
| D | 2,711 | 133 | 4,058 | ||
| D | 1,946 | 2 | 1,949 | ||
| D | 1,652 | 196 | 1,851 | ||
| D | 1,728 | 273 | 2,001 | ||
| D | 1,586 | 434 | 2,020 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
13.0%
English
11.9%
Irish
9.1%
German
6.3%
Scottish
1.9%
Italian
1.0%
French
0.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 43.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$59,473
State House District 85 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 85$59,473
Alabama$63,999
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
18.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1823.0%
Working age (18–64)16.4%
Seniors (65+)18.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.3%
speak English only
Spanish2.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Other Indo-European0.3%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 30.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of D+37.3, this district ranks among the most reliably Democratic constituencies in the state, likely anchored by a dense urban core or majority-minority population base.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Alabama 85th State House District peaked at 100 points in 1888; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of six points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $59,473 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State House District 85, Alabama. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/01085/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State House District 85, Alabama vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 85, Alabama voted Republican by 49.8 points (R+50), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 13,225 votes cast, 3,263 went Democratic and 9,848 went Republican.
What is State House District 85, Alabama's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 85, Alabama as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 22 times, Republican 14 times, and other 2 times.
When did State House District 85, Alabama last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 85, Alabama voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in State House District 85, Alabama?
State House District 85, Alabama has a population of 27,172 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 85, Alabama?
Median household income in State House District 85, Alabama is $59,473 — below the national median of $80,734. The Alabama state median is $63,999.
What is the political history of State House District 85, Alabama?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 85, Alabama from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 14 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.